Month: May 2017

An Interview with Baker and Owner at Bakeforyou, Nagaland | Abigail Sitlhou

Published by Pooja Ghose

Have you ever gone on the adventure of going off book while following a baking recipe, and immediately regretting it? You know the results are almost always disastrous. Because the chemistry of baking doesn’t lend itself as naturally to experimentation as cooking does. So, when the professional bakers out there pick out one beautifully risen cake after another from an oven, know that those hands have seen many failures. Here’s a story of one such magic maker. Meet Abigail Sitlhou, 25, Owner & Baker of Bakeforyou – a home-based bakery in Kohima, Nagaland. Tell us a bit about yourself. I am a witty & fun loving person, who can laugh at the silliest of stuff when I’m around my kind of people. My hobbies are crafting and gardening. I am now a full-time baker and very satisfied with the profession I have chosen for myself. I am lucky that I have very supportive parents. When did you first start baking? I had always been fascinated with the art of cooking & baking . In the …

Faces | This is How We Spend Our Evenings at Sokhriezie Park, Kohima

Published by Pooja Ghose

“We usually come to Sokhriezie Park after school or during holidays. It’s one of our favorite place to hang out in Kohima! The main reason we’re here is to climb on the monkey bar and check out the ‘cactus corner’. We take lots of pictures for our Instagram, and everyone loves it! Oh, and there’s a cafe too. They make the best spring rolls ever! It’s our go-to spot for chilling and chatting with friends😊” Deno and her friend hanging out at the monkey bar at Sokhriezie Park in BOC Kohima Deno and her friend are busy with their favorite activity – taking pictures at the ‘Cactus Corner’ and sharing them on Instagram.

Losing Our Hearts to Nagaland’s Very Own John Mayer | Imliakum Aier

Published by Shweta Rao

“Poise, prose, and passion make a great musician,” goes a famous saying. Nah! We just made that up. But it’s true! Most of our favorite artists today have struck a chord with millions of fans not just for being good singers. They gotta have the looks and be completely invested in their music beginning from lyrics, to costume, and even their Instagram posts. It’s what the music industry calls ‘a whole package’. Somewhere amidst the bustling, vibrant city of Kohima, Imliakum Aier is strumming a guitar whipping up a new tune for his brainchild, a young band of funky young musicians aptly named The Electric Cool Kid. Aier sports a pair of Lennon round sunglasses, a funky Hawaiian shirt and a pensive look that would put John Mayer to shame. One cannot help but think that Nagaland’s music scene has found its whole package. We spoke with Imliakum to get to know him and how this budding artist weaves magic through his simple lyrics. Tell us about the musician in Imliakum Aier. When did realise you wanted …

Meet the Artist Who Turns People Into Ridiculously Cute Doodles | Awele Kapfo from Nagaland

Published by Shweta Rao

Everybody loves doodling. There’s just something about an idle moment and a blank page that sparks ideas on our minds. When words fail to convey an idea, an ingenious doodle can blaze through our cognitive minds and set the world alight. Our featured artist for the week, creative doodle illustrator, and watercolor artist Awele Kapfo brings beautiful artwork to life. Let’s get to know her! Awele, 21 is a final year Economics student from Nagaland, whose cute and quirky illustrations are creating quite a buzz on social media. Your doodles look pretty awesome! How did you get started? My love for doodles began when I discovered an app called ‘Doodlr’ on Google Play. The app resembled Instagram – but for artists. Unfortunately, the developers could not keep up with the expenses of the server and it closed down this February. That’s when I decided to (finally) join Instagram, and start putting up my watercolor illustrations resembling the doodles I used to make on ‘Doodlr’. I had started experimenting with watercolors after I saw the posts by a German water colorist …

Finding Beauty in the Mundane – Captured on the Streets of Chiang Mai.

Published by Pooja Ghose

“I was wandering around the streets of my new neighborhood and this scene caught my eye from the road. I snuck through the front gate like a ninja and got as close as I could, behind him. I was in and out in seconds before he was alerted to my presence. This is a simple capture of a moment when he was engrossed in his daily ritual of cooking food.” ~Contributed by @beatthegrind

Explore the Himalayas with Ashish Juyal | Founder of Incredible Outdoors

Published by Roots & Leisure

Thoreau once said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” What good is all the month-end rejoicing for a salary if you haven’t lived a little? Fortunately, there are some people among us who are living an adventurous life full of no regrets. They stand tall as inspirations. Roots & Leisure loves bringing to you their stories in the hope that they change your weekend plans for the better. So, say hi to Ashish Juyal, 28, who is a full-time traveler, trekker and biker, and permanently living in the Himalayas. Ashish is from a small town called Satpuli, in the state of Uttarakhand, but is currently living in Rishikesh, in the Himalayas. He loves traveling on his bike, trekking and meeting new people. He is into photography as well and loves capturing the beautiful landscapes and life of the people living in the Himalayas through his lens. He is also the founder of a travel and tour company called Incredible Outdoors that offers educational, camping, rafting and adventurous biking, motorcycle tours in the Himalayas, Rishikesh …

Sustainable Fashion is the New Cool | Meet the Indo-French Duo Behind ‘Indigenous Industries’

Published by Pooja Ghose

Fast fashion fatigue is the new buzzword; and so is global warming as the apparel industry has an alarmingly high carbon footprint. And that’s why, more people are getting into responsible and sustainable practices of manufacturing textiles. Today we have one such company called ‘Indigenous Industries’, co-founded by an Indo-French duo. Here is an excerpt from a brief chat with co-founder Vincent Decléty. Vincent Decléty, a French expat joined hands with Aadil Ansari from Ahmedabad to start ‘Indigenous Industries’ with the aim to promote natural dyers and textile craftsmen – and in the process make sustainable garment manufacturing a reality. Vincent inspecting the freshly dyed Khadi fabrics | Indigenous Industries Vincent, tell us what Indigenous Industries is all about? My business partner Aadil, from Ahmedabad and I (from France) have been designing textile, manufacturing it, dyeing it, and either selling the end fabrics, or manufacturing garments for other brands or our own Indigenous Industries. We pride ourselves on the quality of our dyes and the originality of our fabrics. Today, we manufacture for brands from India as well as from …